Left
by BittersweetLilies
Summary: 'Whenever he said that he loved him, there was always a faraway look in his eyes.' What if Ari didn't grow up in the lab, and found out about the bird-kids later. I suck at summaries, please give this a chance.
1. Chapter 1

**R&R**

**Disclaimer: I don't own James Patterson. I wish I did (Dylan would be dead in a hole at the bottom of a volcano). **

**Note – The place where Max and the flock was kept, was not the building Max fought with Maya at in Book 2. Thanks! **

**~Lilie**

When my daddy first told me he loved me, my heart leapt. But even when he said it, I could tell, it was just three words without meaning, and said with a faraway look in his eyes. I was only 3, but I could already tell, that he didn't care. After that, Jeb just kept getting more and more distant. He'd ignore me when I asked him to help me with the simplest tasks, like helping me tie my shoes, or getting a book down from a high shelf. I always thought my daddy was busy with his job, or just tired. I didn't know what his job was, and whenever I asked he'd change the topic, asking me about preschool. Then came the day I turned four. Jeb was called to his job, an emergency task, which he couldn't avoid. I didn't understand why he had to leave me on my special day. I snuck in the back of his rusted red ford truck, and waited till he drove away.

The road was long and bumpy. I fell asleep for most of the time, waking, while my father passed through a tall iron gate marked ITEXICON. He drove down a hill, and there was another gate, with lots of barbed wire. I wondered why my daddy was driving to a prison, but I kept silent. Jeb stopped at this gate, and got out of the truck, a small square object in his hand. He ran it through a slot in the gate, and got back in the car. He got out soon after, striding proudly up to a tall building, and walking in. I crept silently behind him, catching the door as it slammed forward. I slipped as I wlaked in, and fell onto a man in a white coat. He stared down at me, and called to my daddy,

"Batchelder, children are not allowed in the lab!"

"I had no idea sir."

"Well take him out."

Jeb looked for me, but I had already ran towards an open door and slipped inside. The room was large and dimly lit, but I could see well enough to see the room was filled with cages, some small, and some larger. Someone whimpered, and I realized in horror that there were children in the cages, children with wings. I ran out of the room screaming. A woman in a whitecoat, stopped me, and picked me up, carrying me to my daddy. I hugged him, but he pushed me off.

"Listen to me Ari. These nice men and woman are going to take care of you for a while, while I can't. Anne's going to take you to your new home now, okay? Be a good boy for me."

"No, Daddy, you can't leave me! Come back!"

I screamed as the woman named Anne dragged me away. The last thing I saw before we turned the corner was my daddy lugging six cages towards his truck, and my home.

**So – what did you think?**


	2. Chapter 2

**Okay guys, this was supposed to be a one shot but I realized that it didn't have a good ending so I'll make it into a story. **

**Also: Thanks to **** . **** for being the first to review! **

**~Lilie **

**Note – Sorry guys I just realized this. In Maximum Ride Ari was left with the whitecoats when he was 3. But in this Fanfic he's 4 instead. **

**R&R please!**

We continue down the building corridors, turning left, right, left, left, and left again. I cry silently, determined not to let the woman named Anne see me cry. We come to a tall door, marked Parking. Anne slips another square object into a scanner and the door opens with a click. Then she bends down to me, one of those thin square objects like she has in her hands. She pulls out a chain from her pocket, and attaches it to the square object.

"This is a key card Ari." She says.

"With this card you will have access to the lab, and to all parts of my house. You need to wear it at all times, and never ever lose it – okay?"

She looks straight into my eyes, as she talks, and I flinch. Then I nod. I don't want to anger Anne. She walks out, waiting for me at the end of the driveway 10 feet away. It is snowing, and the air is cold. Snow falls to the ground creating large snowdrifts. I walk beside Anne, pushing snow out of the way. I stumble as the ground becomes more uneven. Anne notices this and picks me up. Jeb never picked me up. I struggle against her, but it doesn't do much and she just keeps walking. I finger the key card as she walks in the snow. Soon enough we come to a small black car that's much smaller than my daddy's truck. Anne unlocks it with a different key, and puts me down on a seat next to hers. I'm too short to see out the window, so I put my hands in my lap and wait patiently while Anne drives.

After we have been driving for a very long time, Anne pulls out a small cellphone and talks into it. I catch her end of the conversation and small crackles on the other end of the line.

"Jeb has the avian-human hybrids I presume Marian?"

"—in place—"

"I have his son."

She is talking about me!

"I am taking him back to my house as we speak."

"-and the operation?—"

"It's schedule for 11 weeks after his 5th birthday. I will bring him in then?"

"-visit Jeb-?"

"When they have settled in."

The conversation ends. I hunch in my seat as Anne puts the phone away. I don't want to have an operation. It sounds bad. I have never had an operation. I don't know what an operation is. Jeb talked about it sometimes, but never to me. I decide to ask Anne about the operation. I don't like not knowing what it is.

"Anne?" I start nervously.

She looks up

"Yes Ari?" she says and she sounds a little bit annoyed. I take a deep breath and continue.

"Anne, what's an op-er-ray-shion. Why do I have to have an op-er-ray-shion?" I stumble over the unfamiliar word.

"Oh, Ari don't worry about that." Anne says dismissively. She's not going to answer my question!

"But why do I have to have it?" I say yelling.

My daddy told me not to ever yell, but I really need to know. Anne sighs. She obviously doesn't want to tell me."

"An operation is when a doctor or nurse cuts someone open and either removes a body part to make them better, or gives them a body part. You have an operation if there is something wrong with you, and it makes you better."

"What's wrong with me?" I ask.

"Nothing's wrong with you, Ari. Well, let me ask you this – would you like to be special?"

I nod. I think I would like to be special. Maybe then Jeb would love me.

**I know it's short but this seemed like a good place to stop. I'll try to make the next chapter longer. Please Review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Third Chapter! So sorry to keep you guys waiting!**

**~Lilie**

Anne drives home silently. I wait until she suddenly stops the car and opens my door.

"Welcome home Ari." She says

I gasp. Her house is huge, and white. I spot a blue pond off to one side, and a barn on the other. A large dog comes running out to greet her. It stops at her feet and I reach down to pet it. The dog snaps at me, and I jump back. Anne scolds the dog.

"This is Mingo. He's a barn dog, so he's not very friendly. You might want to stay away from him though – he does bite."

I nod, and Anne walks me towards the house. The inside is very big too, and filled with lots of windows. Anne stops me at the welcome mat.

"Wipe your shoes, Ari."

"Why?" I say

"It's a way to get gunk off your shoes, so you don't tramp over everything in dirty shoes."

"But my shoes aren't dirty!"

"Ari, please." Anne sighs.

I wipe off my shoes and walk inside.

Anne follows me, and busies herself in the kitchen. She heating up something in the microwave, and I watch it spin around.

"Do you like pizza?" Anne asks me.

"Uh-huh." I say. I didn't have pizza a lot when Jeb took care of me. The microwave beeps.

"Pizza's done." Anne says cheerfully, wiping her hands on her pants.

She's taken off the lab coat by now, and I'm glad. It makes me think of Jeb. I will not think of Jeb. He left me. My daddy left me, to take care of other children in cages. I will not think of them, living at home, and laughing with my daddy. I hate them! I hate Jeb! He should have taken me too! I clench my hands into little fists, and turn back to Anne. She holds the microwave pizza out. It's steaming hot and a bit burnt. She places it down on the table, and hands me a plate. I take it, and she puts a slice of pizza on it. We eat dinner in silence.

After dinner Anne tells me it's time to go to bed. I protest, but she insists. I yawn, but let her carry me up to bed. It feels strange. Jeb never carried me up to bed. We pass many doors, and finally, Anne drops me off in the smallest bedroom. It's walls and the ceiling is painted pink, and has lots of stuffed animals in it. It's a girl's bedroom. Anne tries to tuck me into the small bed, but I refuse.

"It's a girls bedroom. I'm a boy, not a girl!"

"I know that Ari." Anne sighs, "but this seemed like the best room for you." She pats the white pillow motioning for me to lay down. I don't.

"Ari, please lie down."

"But isn't there a different room. What about all those other doors?"

"No Ari, there isn't another bedroom, please just sleep in this one."

"But, the doors."

"Ari, listen to me, those rooms are off limits. Don't ever go in them. Now, go to sleep."

Anne turns off the light and closes the door. I hear her footsteps as she walks down the stairs. I look out the small window. The breeze blows the curtains, and makes a tree scratch against the window. I ignore the scratching noise, and try to fall asleep. It's not working though. I've never been a heavy sleeper. Eventually, I give up hope and get out of bed.

I push the pink sheets away, and walk down the hallway. Anne's door is open, and it leads into a big bedroom, with a queen-sized bed. There is a bathroom on one side. I start to walk past her bedroom, then pause. On a table next to her bed is a large key. The key is small and silver. I pick it up, and walk towards the doors of the rooms I'm not allowed in. I don't like having secrets kept from me. If Anne wants to keep secrets from me, then I'll find them.

The key shakes in my hand. I steady it, and turn the slowly turn the lock. I push the door open and it creaks, making me jump. Inside the room is a bed. I do the same for the next door, and the next. All five rooms contain beds. Why is Anne hiding beds?

**How was it? Review Please!**

**~Lillie**


	4. Chapter 4

**This Chapter starts the next month. Okay, I know it seems rushed but bear with me. **

**Thanks to,****Hecatenna****,**** Dove, and Guest (1) for reviewing!**

**R&R please! **

**~Lilie**

I awake to someone shaking me. I groggily rub my eyes, and see who it is, hoping it's Jeb and he's going to say he was sorry and take me back home. It's not. It's Anne.

"Wake up." Anne says.

She stops shaking me when she realizes I'm up. She drops a suitcase by my bed, and it falls open. It contains a bunch of clothes. Anne hands some to me, and tells me to come down stairs when I'm ready. I dress in the new clothes, which are a bit too big, and walk downstairs. The first thing I smell are burnt pancakes.

Anne looks sheepish. " Well, I'm not a great cook." She says, tossing the pancakes in the trash. "But, I have some news that may be better than burnt pancakes. You're going to see Jeb today! Isn't that great!" Anne says enthusiastically. I wonder whether she's happy for me, or just for the time she'll spend alone. Anyway she still seems strangely enthusiastic.

"Do you want to hear the news Ari?" Anne says sweetly, trying to get me as excited as possible.

It's not working. I already know she's already hid something from me once, so what's to stop her from lying again. I waited all month to see if she'd tell me about the beds, but she didn't, and I don't think she will. And Jeb, my daddy, he lied to me for 4 years.

"Ari, Ari. Earth to Ari." Anne says in a tone that sounds nice, but I can tell she's annoyed. I've zoned out.

"Yeah, Anne? What's the news?" I say trying to sound excited.

"We, well, you are going to visit the Bird Children today! You are going to get to see your father!" Anne beams like she's given me the gift of life.

I smile faintly. I'm happy that I get to see Jeb, but sad because he had already sent me away once. I'm jealous of the Bird Children as Anne calls them, because they get to live with my daddy. Anne seems happy though, as she gives me a hat and coat and shoes me through the door.

"Aren't you coming with me?" I ask timidly.

"Of course not. I will meet the Bird Children later, when the time comes. My colleague will be here in a minute to drive you to Jeb's house." Anne says and closes the door behind me.

I wait outside in the cold until I see a small car drive up. It's light blue, and rusted. I open the back door and hop inside. I buckle my seat belt and stare out the window until we get to Jeb's house.

The house I get out at is not Jeb's house. This one is strange, and shaped like an E. My house was gray, with a black roof, which sagged when it snowed. This is not my house, but a stranger's. I walk up to the small door, and knock. Jeb opens the door.

"Ari. Um, how nice to see you. I can't talk right now, so can you come back later?"

"But, daddy why?" I ask. Anne told me he would be willing to talk. I hear a yell from inside the house.

"I'm busy, Ari, you have to understand." Jeb says. I don't understand. Before Jeb can speak a girl bursts out. She has dirty blond hair so dark it's almost brown, and a scowl on her face. She looks about eleven.

"Jeb come back inside, you need to finish the lesson. Wait, who's this?" She glares at me. I smile.

"Um, I'm Ar-" I say

"This is my son Ari. He's just leaving." Jeb says, and he pushes me out the door.

"How did he find us?" The girl asks. "Is he with the school?"

"I sent him to live with his mother." Jeb says. He's lying. My mother died when I was a baby. Why do people keep lying to me? "He must have run away. Don't be concerned Max." Jeb finishes.

Jeb starts to close the door on me, but a boy who looks just a little bit older than me comes out.

"Who's this? Does he have wings too?" The boy asks. He has blond spiky hair and blue eyes. Jeb pushes him back inside the house.

"I'll tell you later. Okay Gazzy?" he says, ruffling the boy's hair. He gives him a hug, and pushes him back inside the house. He turns to Max.

"Max, I need you to go back inside and take care of the others while I take Ari home." He grasps her hand. "Please?"

Max pales a bit. "But, you haven't left us, what if you don't come back! You can't leave!" She glares at me. I stay quiet. She's scared that Jeb will never come back. Jeb ignores her, and picks me. He gets in his car, and leaves.

I sit on the seat behind him. Pictures of the bird children are spread around the car. They look so happy. Jeb rambles, telling me many of his memories with the kids.

"And I'm teaching them karate. They're fighters, especially Max. She's going to be the leader Ari, when I leave." I drown his talking out. It's apparent that he replaced me. And I hate the bird kids for that! I'm his son! Then, he says something that surprises me.

"When you get your operation, your going to be stronger. You're going to be bigger. You'll be better."

_Will I be better than Max? _I wonder. Will he love me if I'm better than Max?

**Okay, so I stretched this chapter a bit, but Ari needed to meet the kids somehow. Review (don't just read it – it really helps!)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Thank you so much for all the reviews! I now have 7 (that may not seem like a lot, but whatever – it's some!) Thanks to the latest reviewers Madrox MR and QuickerThanAF'ingMongoose7. **

**Disclaimer (I haven't done this in the past few chapters – sorry) I don't own Maximum Ride, Ari, Jeb, Anne, or the Bird Kids. **

**So Here it is – the (hopefully) awaited chapter:**

**~Lilie **

Jeb drops me off back at the house. I get out of the car gladly; as it is so much better than listening to my dad talk about the stupid bird kids. I know that I should be jealous, but I don't care. How could they take away my daddy? How could he go with them, and leave me without a second glance!

I watch as Jeb drives away, staring as his car gets smaller and smaller. He is probably going back to be with the bird kids now. There were six in the picture, Max, Gazzy, and four others. Jeb mentioned them, but I didn't remember their names. They weren't important. But their names were weird; I remembered that. Why would you be named Gazzy?

I liked my name – Ari. And I'd like it when Jeb had called me by it, and told me he was proud of me, which wasn't a lot. He had usually just ignored me. It didn't look like he ignored the bird kids. He talked about them the whole way home. The look in his eyes when he boasted about them, well, he never boasted about me like that. Did _Jeb even love me?_ I wonder. _Or was I just another of his experiments? Was I just a child he could keep for a few years, and then throw away we he was done? _I started to cry.

Anyway, Anne wasn't home yet. The front door was locked, so I sat crying in the cold until she drove up. She hopped out of the car quickly and unlocked the door, pushing me inside with her free hands. She stopped instantly when she looked at my face.

"Ari, what's wrong? Why are you home so early?" She said, giving me a hug.

"My daddy, my daddy drove me back. He doesn't want to see me. You lied!" I shout.

"Ari. Ari, I would never lie to you." Anne says sweetly, patting me on the back.

"Yes you would! You did. You said Jeb wanted to see me, but he didn't! And you lied about those beds! You said that there wasn't another bedroom, but there was! Why did you lie to me!" I scream at her. I've lost my temper.

Anne looks guilty. She starts to say something, then thinks better of it, and walks upstairs. I silently follow her. She walks into her room, and shuts the door. I pound my fists on it, but it does nothing. Then, I stop. Anne is talking to someone in the room. I'm confused, as there I didn't see anyone in the room. Suddenly I realize she is talking on her phone. I put my ear to the door.

"Hello, Marian, this is Anne. I'd like to reschedule the operation. Ari is becoming suspicious, and he is not fit to know everything at the time. I suggest that the change to becoming an eraser would be better fit to take place on his 5th birthday." Anne says.

I picture a pink eraser, and I shudder. Why does Anne want to turn me into something that erases pencil marks? I hear a clatter, that I think means Anne has put her phone down. I start to run to my pink bedroom when the door opens, and Anne steps out.

"Come here Ari. I need to explain." Anne says. I back away from her. She looks sad. "You're going to be bigger and better after you become an eraser." Against my better judgment, I sit down, and let her explain.

"An eraser is a hybrid human wolf. You will be like the bird children, only much better and stronger. You're main purpose will be to hunt down the failed experiments, and guard the laboratory. Do you understand?" Anne says.

I take it all in. I will be better than the bird kids, like smug Max and the rest of them. Then Jeb will love me even better. And when he boasts, he'll boast about me to, not just the stupid bird children. I will be a wolf eraser, not a small pink eraser. I nod.

"Oh, one more thing Ari, you'll look like this." She shows me a picture of a monster, and I scream. I don't want to be a monster, even an eraser monster.

**So, I've seen people doing character chats after chapters and I though I'd try. It's my first time, so please forgive me if it's terrible. If I shouldn't do it again, please tell me. **

Me: So, Ari why are you going to become and eraser? I think you should just stay a little kid. Your less cute like, not so monster-ish that way.

Ari: I don't want to become an eraser! But I do want Jeb to love me…

Me: I will get Jeb to love you. Please just stay a cute little kid for me.

**Review Please!**


	6. Chapter 6

**I'm really sorry for not posting in a while. Now, I'm not going to make some dumb excuse like – I was busy (even though I was), so, I'm sorry, for making anyone who reads this wait this long without a good excuse. What really happened, was my house burned down in a fire, so I moved to an apartment and then…. No, my house did not burn down, though I was removed from my house due to bat problems. Anyway, this chapter starts… now **

**Okay, I lied. First, I just want to thank animefan677 and SmileRen. I really appreciate all the reviews. Now, on to the story for real.**

**~Lilie**

I run away from the room screaming. Anne follows me, setting down the picture. But she can't catch me. I run into a bedroom, one of the ones I wasn't supposed to know about, and lock myself inside. I won't let Anne turn me into an eraser! I won't! I grab the key from the bedroom, and flush it down the toilet. Anne is not going to get me. I won't let her.

But it's no good. A second later I hear a click of the lock, and hear the doorknob turn. Anne steps inside, an identical key in hand. I hide under the bed. To my surprise, Anne waits at the door, not coming closer.

"I just want to talk to you Ari. I'm not going to hurt you. Please come out, and we can talk about this normally. I'm sorry for scaring you." She says. I hear sadness edging into her voice. It makes me wonder if she had the extra rooms for her children. Did Anne ever have children? Did they die? I feel bad for Anne, but I still don't come out.

"That's what all the bad people say." I respond, my voice coming out muffled from under the bed. I hate myself for being scared. I hear Anne walk over to the bed, and a second later I see her face. She tries to coax me out from under the bed, but I don't move. I see her face disappear and hear the bedsprings creak. She must be sitting on the bed.

"Come on out Ari. We need to talk about this." Anne says.

"No!"

"Please Ari. This is a very important step in your life. You can be a hero."

"I won't be a hero if I look like a monster!" I cry

"Ari there's another thing I need to tell you." Anne says. My curiosity takes ahold of me, and I climb out.

"What." I snap.

"Once you become an eraser Jeb will come back to the lab. He will be your father once again, and I promise he'll love you much more than those bird kids." She says. I can't tell whether she's lying or not, but I know she's just pushed my most important button. Jeb is going to come back to me!

"Okay. I'll do it." I tell Anne.

"Very good. The operation is scheduled for your 5th birthday, just 3 months from now. You're going to be the pinnacle of our achievements. Ari! Isn't that just great!? You should be proud!" Anne gushes.

"Yeah." I say, trying to ignore the sinking feeling I have. This might not be such a good idea after all.


End file.
